WhatsApp is raising the minimum age requirement to use the service to 16 in the European Union.

The messaging service currently requires users to be at least 13 but, with the introduction of the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), from 25 May it will increase for those inside the EU.

WhatsApp is to ban Under 16s

The Facebook-owned service will ask users to confirm their age when prompting them to agree to new terms of service on the platform in the coming weeks.

WhatsApp said it was not asking for any new rights to collect personal information. “Our goal is simply to explain how we use and protect the limited information we have about you,” the company said.

Internet giants such as Facebook and Twitter have also been rolling out new terms of service ahead of the GDPR launch, in order to bring their businesses in line with the new regulations, which require clear consent from users to access their data.

The regulations give users greater powers to control how their data is used and the right to have data erased. WhatsApp said the update ensured it could “meet the new high standards of transparency for how we protect the privacy of our users”. It plans to keep the over-13 age restriction in the rest of the world.